Finding Her Heart
by snowleaf
Summary: It's Valentine's Day and Orihime has lost the gift she's prepared for her special someone. Ichigo promises to help her find it but with Valentine's Day only four days away, will he find it on time? And who's the present for anyway?
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Finding Her Heart  
**Chapter:** 1  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Fandom: **Bleach  
**Pairing: **Ichigo/Orihime  
**Disclaimer: **I own neither the characters nor Bleach

* * *

Valentine's Day was the most stupid and pointless celebration that humans ever invented to celebrate. That and White Day. 

That was what Ichigo said to Rukia, as they walked down their usual sunny-lit path to school.

It was Tuesday 10th of February, four days before the said horrendous festivity was about to happen. Rukia, who had grown most curious over the hype that seemed to have suddenly infected the school, had only managed to catch the word "Valentine" before the girl she had asked collapsed into a fit of giggles and ran away, tomato-faced. Curiosity not quenched, she decided to ask Ichigo about it; after all, she thought, he was a human who grew up here. If anyone could answer, he could.

Now that was a big mistake on her part.

After choking on Yuzu's homemade pancakes that morning, all Rukia got from the orange-headed teen was that one irritated statement above, which really explains nothing except that Ichigo was an idiot, and he refused to say anymore. Rukia would've tortured him to elaborate properly but remembered at the last minute what happened at his mother's death anniversary the last time she did that and thought perhaps there was a deeper reason to this sensitive topic.

That didn't mean she was going to drop it though! As soon as they reached the school gates, Rukia bid Ichigo a hurried goodbye and dashed off to the classroom before he could say "What the..!" To her delight, Orihime was already there sitting quietly behind Tatsuki and Chizuru, mouth open and clearly in a daze. It seemed she was completely unaware of the noisy fight before her.

"I told you to stop molesting her! And lest of all in public!" Tatsuki yelled, throwing a punch at Chizuru.

"It's Valentine's Season," Chizuru shouted back, just as fiercely, "Couples are _kissing_ on the streets everywhere! I was merely admiring Hime-chan's lovely bosoms! What's wrong with that!"

"What's wrong with it! Everything, you lesbo-sex-crazed-pervert! And what Valentine's Season! You do this everyday!"

To everyone's surprise, Chizuru suddenly stopped struggling and actually flushed. "I just can't help it, really. Hime's sensuous beauty just arouses me so. Just the other night in fact, I was simply daydreaming about Hime and suddenly this huge orga-"

"STOP! STOP! Now I'm **_really_** going to kill you!"

And with that, Tatsuki leapt onto Chizuru and the scrawl resumed.

Rukia chuckled at the familiar sight and the sound seemed to awaken Orihime. She blinked as her daydream shattered and her eyes landed on Rukia.

"Good morning, Kuchiki-san!" Orihime chirped happily.

"Good morning, Inoue-san." Rukia greeted back as she walked around scuffle effortlessly and stood next to the big-breasted girl. "What's this I hear about Valentine's Season?"

"You don't know, Kuchiki-san? Do you not celebrate it in Soul Society?" Rukia cast a worried glance at Tatsuki and Chizuru but they seemed too engrossed in their own business to notice. Turning back to Orihime, she shook her head.

Orihime smiled broadly.

"Valentine's Day is a tradition dating back centuries." She began, speaking as though she had prepared the speech especially for such an occasion. "It's a day used to celebrate a couple's love for each other. Or, if you single but like someone, it's a day that you can give them something to show you care about them. Here in Japan, this day is specially for women to send a gift to the man they love." She giggled, "It's sweet, isn't it?"

Rukia nodded, taking it all in. Humans sure do strange things here in the real world… She thought back Ichigo's non-helpful explanation and another question suddenly popped up.

"Then what's White Day?"

"Oh that's just like Valentine's Day, except it's when men give something in return to the women to thank them for Valentine's Day. I think it's on the… March 14th, yeah, a month after Valentine's Day."

"Oh I see…"

Rukia smirked. So that was why Ichigo was so annoyed at the topic, it was because he wasn't getting any action. Hah! The loner.

"What about you, Inoue-san? Are you going to give a gift to someone this year?"

The question was really quite simple in nature, just a normal enquiry befitting the conversation. But Chizuru was suddenly alert. She looked up from her position on the floor where Tatsuki was pinning her down, and stared at Orihime through lopsided glasses. Her face was a hybrid of shock and joy. "My Hime… is giving me a gift?"

Tatsuki stomped on Chizuru's head angrily. "Get over yourself. Even if she is giving someone a gift, it wouldn't be _you_. Orihime has never given a Valentine's present to anyone besides her brother. Right, Hime?"

"Um…" Orihime mumbled, fiddling with her hands nervously. "Actually, Tatsuki-chan, this year I do have something for someone…"

Chizuru shouted her triumphant protests from the floor, and Tatsuki blinked in surprise. "Oh really? Is it who I think it is?" She asked, completely dismissing Chizuru.

Blushing, Orihime merely looked away shyly and tightened the hold on her bag. A beam of sunlight streamed into the room and suddenly, in one glorious stroke of inspiration, Rukia had an idea.

--

"I-Chi-Go!"

Ichigo automatically ducked to one side and Keigo splattered flat onto the wall.

They had just done double Physics and double Maths - during which Ichigo had to leave in the middle due to a hollow warning, and had only just got back in time for lunch - and the last thing he needed now was Keigo's crazy antics. With his vein threatening to pop, Ichigo muttered irritably, "What do you want?"

"Have you got any Valentino cards so far eh, Ichi-Ichigo?" Keigo asked, dancing madly. "I got six. **SIX**!" He flashed some flowery, pink slash purple cards in front of Ichigo's face. "**_At last_**, Mizuiro's reign over women is over and I shall finally claim my rightful place as the most popular male of all! Mwaha-mwahahaha!"

"That's nice, Keigo. But have you looked inside the cards yet?"

Mizuiro stepped up from behind them and greeted Ichigo on the other side. Keigo scoffed at him haughtily and flipped one card over. "You're just jealous that I'm more popular than you. These were all in my locker so _obviously_ they were meant fo…"

Keigo's face froze in horror. No words were issued from his lips and the sentence hung unfinished.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, looking over the shocked boy's shoulder. He had to stuff a fist in his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud.

**_Asano-kun, can you please please tell Mizuiro-kun that I love him and persuade him to go out with me! Please please! Thank you! Mitsuki-chan._**

"No! That was just one, just one card!" Keigo yelled, tearing into the other cards. "I love Mizuiro – no – Mizuiro-kun's best – no! – What does Mizuiro-kun like? – shut up! – Send me a picture of Mi –_ NOOOOOOOOOOO!_"Keigo fell to the floor dramatically, and crunched up the cards in his hands. "Why…"

Mizuiro clapped Keigo embracingly on the back, "If it makes you feel better, I only got twelve cards in my locker. That's _two_ down from last year, but I suppose the three extra yesterday makes up for it, and of course there's still the rest of the week to go…"

"Mizuiro…!" Keigo rose up, and grabbed Mizuiro's collar. He shook him fiercely, screaming in anguish. "It's your fault! All your fault! You goddamn popular no-gooder! Why you always…"

Ichigo balled his hands into fists. Veins popped everywhere as his anger flourished. But just as he was about to knock the idiot unconscious, an unexpected weight bumped into him from behind.

"Oof! … Ouch."

Ichigo turned around, recognising that voice. "Inoue?"

Orihime stopped rubbing her bottom and looked up timidly, her eyes widening as they landed on Ichigo. "Oh Kurosaki-kun, I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking to see where I was going." She scrambled up clumsily, and bowed. Before Ichigo could reply, another voice boomed in.

"Inoue-san!" Keigo sprung forward, arms wide. "My sweet goddess of heaven! You have come to save me!" All previous misery was clearly forgotten as stars shimmered brightly in his eyes. Ichigo punched him away.

"Sorry about him. What are you doing running down the corridor?"

"Um…" Orihime stammered nervously, "I, er, I think I lost something. I had it in the morning but – uh – it's not there anymore."

"What? Is it a book? Your purse?"

She shook her head, starting to go red. "It-it doesn't matter. Sorry Kurosaki-kun. Please jus-just ignore it. I'd better be going now!" Orihime bowed deeply once again and braved one last glance towards him before running away as fast as she could, tripping over herself several times in her haste.

Ichigo stared after her absent-mindedly, oblivious to Keigo groaning in the corner, before a voice piped up beside him. "Poor Inoue, it really does seem like she's lost something really important. Hm… She's been looking for it all lunchtime."

"Rukia…" Ichigo said, "When did you show up?"

Rukia ignored him. "Oh I do hope she finds it soon. After all, Saturday isn't that far away."

Saturday…? Ichigo thought, Valentine's Day…? He narrowed his eyes at Rukia, trying to decipher her out. She was acting strange, and by that he meant unusually strange.

"What did she lose?" He asked.

Rukia looked at him quietly for a while.

"Her heart."

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

_This'll most likely to be a three or four part story, since I'm too impatient to wait to finish it all and then post it all in one go. I hope you like it so far._


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Finding Her Heart  
**Chapter:** 2  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Fandom: **Bleach  
**Pairing: **Ichigo/Orihime  
**Disclaimer: **I own neither the characters nor Bleach.

* * *

There was a silence.

"Her _what?!_"

Rukia smirked.

"Not her actual heart, you dumbass," she said as a hand smacked Ichigo around the head. "The heart-shaped card that she made, she lost _that_."

"Oh…"

Ichigo settled down, feeling slightly foolish. Of course she didn't lose her real heart, he thought in embarrassment. He just saw her a few minutes ago, alive and kicking. Rukia was just winding him up as usual. Ichigo looked over to the said shinigami and, indeed, a self-satisfied grin met his eyes. He glared daggers at her.

But back on topic, Ichigo thought back, why did Inoue make a heart-shaped card? And with Valentine's Day so near. It seemed almost like, almost like… she was planning to give it to someone…?

A twinge of annoyance jabbed at his chest, to reasons unknown, and Ichigo felt even more frustrated. Rukia seemed to be inspecting his reaction closely through beady eyes and that just irritated him more.

"What?" He barked at her.

"Nothing," Rukia said, still grinning from ear to ear. "I was just thinking how poor Inoue is probably turning the whole school over trying to find that card. She must've spent a long time on it or it wouldn't be so important, right?"

Ichigo stared at her weirdly. Rukia was been strangely nosey for odd reasons, and he didn't understand why she was telling all this to him. She couldn't possibly know that it was bothering him… could she?

"Ah! And there goes the bell!" Rukia pointed up as a loud ringing signalled the end of lunch. "Better not be late for class, Ichigo. Not that Ochi-sensei cares."

And with that, she swivelled briskly on her heels and sauntered away, leaving a frustrated Ichigo alone in the corridor.

--

A few hours later, the same bell rang distantly as Ichigo ran at lightning-speed down the road. He swore loudly upon hearing it and sped up the pace. Having just taken care of yet another hollow, Ichigo was thankful that at least when he was in shinigami form ordinary people could neither see nor hear him. But at the same time, he also cursed that same fact for it was precisely because of it that he had left his body in school.

Next time, I'm going to remember to put it somewhere safe _and_ private. Ichigo told himself sternly as he rounded up the corner. The tall clock tower of Karakura High School became visible above the treetops.

Dashing past the clumps of schoolgirls and boys walking out, Ichigo's anxiety increased. As expected, placing his body in the middle of the playground was definitely not the brightest of ideas.

Skidding to a halt in from of the school gates, it was impossible to see anything amid the vast mass of people milling around. Ichigo blindly rushed towards the place where he believed he had left his body but, to his chagrin, found nothing there except for a used chewing gum wrapper. He then circled the whole playground top to bottom in desperation again and again, the fruits of which only resulted in dirty love-notes and yet more gum wrappers.

Soon the crowd thinned out and there were merely two people behind the gates, kissing passionately and making a lot of noise (having no knowledge of Ichigo's presence). Ichigo turned his back to them and hopelessly admitted the truth to himself. Somebody had already taken away his lifeless body and he had no idea where it was.

Dropping to the ground, the orange-haired shinigami buried his head into his hands as horrible thoughts of what could've happened floated past his mind – all of which are too grotesque to be repeated. Just as he was about to mourn forever, an unexpectedly familiar voice called out.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo turned to the school building, and sure enough, Orihime was waving energetically at him from the doors. The couple behind him stopped their activities and looked puzzled; Ichigo thought it was best that he went to Orihime before she jogged up to him.

"Kurosaki-kun, are you okay?" Orihime asked in concern as he neared her. "Do you have a headache? Because if you do, I've got the perfect remedy for it. Jam sandwich with peanut butter and smoked ham! I just discovered today." She smiled brightly. "It also cures stomach-aches, toothaches and nosebleeds!"

Ichigo sweat dropped at that, and noted to never go to Orihime for help when he's sick.

"I'm fine, Inoue, really. I'm just um…" He scratched his head, embarrassed. "Just uh… looking for something. That's all."

Strangely, Orihime's face brightened more at that. "Really? Wow, what a coincidence! I'm looking for something too!"

Ichigo looked at her, "Is this the thing you were looking for at lunchtime?"

It was really quite a simple question, but Orihime suddenly became flustered. "Oh! Umm yes actually. I lost it at recess and have been looking for it since. It must be in school so that's why I'm just, uh, here now. Looking for it I mean..."

Ichigo watched as she carried on mumbling on nonsensically, a small blush upon her cheeks. Maybe it was because of the setting sun, streaking down upon the both of them, basking the playground in gold, but suddenly Ichigo realised just how pretty the girl before him was.

It was as though the last few rays of dusk brought out the dormant beauty in Orihime that he had never noticed before. Sure, he had often overheard other boys admiring Orihime's "assets", and shot them daggered glares without knowing why. But now, standing opposite her, with the evening breeze ruffling her auburn hair ever so gently, he could really appreciate just how beautiful the creature before him was. Ichigo watched as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ears, and something in his chest gave a mighty big thump. It was an action that Orihime often performed, but for some reason, she had never looked more beautiful or innocent as she did then.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

The bubble burst and Ichigo snapped out of it. Orihime's cool grey eyes rested on him and he swallowed hard.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

She blinked and said nothing. Ichigo dearly hoped that she had not noticed the surge of blood that had crawled up his face. Thankfully, Orihime seemed to have remembered something else.

"Oh!" Orihime exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I remember now! Kuchiki-san told me to tell you where your body is!"

Ichigo's ears perked up. Extraordinarily, he had momentarily forgotten all about that. How strange it was that talking to this girl can make someone forget even themselves?

"Hmm," Orihime scrunched up her nose, trying to remember, "I think she said it was behind a bush somewhere…"

Ichigo followed her quietly as she randomly walked to a shrub and peered behind it.

"No, not this one…" She muttered and looked at the nearby bushes before shuffling along. "No, no, no, not this one either. I'm sure Kuchiki-san said it was a bush… No, nope… Or maybe it was a tree? Ooh! Is that- ah no, sorry, Kurosaki-kun, that log looked like a leg… Um, this one? No..."

Ichigo watched her work quietly from the side, his previous thoughts still fresh on the mind. Valentine's Season, he cursed, it was all because of the stupid lovey-dovey atmosphere around school. It was that's fault, He told himself firmly, those thoughts didn't come from _him_, no no, they were just manifestations of the mood he's been exposed to. That was all.

This carried on for a good fifteen minutes, with Orihime checking every plant in sight and Ichigo repeating the same dictation to himself, the kissing couple had long since departed (after being knocked over by Orihime) and it became apparent that neither of them were getting anywhere.

"Gomen ne, Kurosaki-kun." She cast him a sheepish smile, clearly highly embarrassed. "Why don't you sit down for a while and I'll look inside the school."

He didn't get the chance even reply before she dashed off, her skirt fluttering behind her.

Ichigo sat down. Today was not a good day. A hollow during Physics, meaning work at home; Rukia being annoying, nosing about Valentine's Day; another hollow during English, meaning more work at home; Rukia being even more annoying, acting all secretive and smirking; his body is nowhere to be found; and Rukia is the one who put it wherever it is. Then suddenly finding Orihime undeniably attractive…

Ichigo groaned. It was no use. No matter how hard he tried, there was no way he could pin the blame for that on Rukia.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

He looked up, and saw Orihime's face beaming at him. It was a few seconds before he realised that she was carrying something heavy on her back.

His jaw dropped.

"I found it!" Her feet wobbled as she tried to support a familiar orange-headed body on her back. "It was in a janitor's closet! _Oof_!" Her legs gave out beneath her and she and Ichigo's body became tangled in one huge mess.

Ichigo quickly ran to her, and offered a hand to pull her up.

Orihime grinned happily at him, and Ichigo tried his hardest not to think stupid thoughts.

"There was a note," He vaguely saw something white flutter in her hand. "Kuchiki-san said that there seemed to have been more people than usual lingering around the playground today so she hid it in a janitor's closet instead."

Ichigo gazed down at his body, or rather, _abused_ body. Bits of twigs and leaves were sticking out of his already unkempt hair and some minor cuts can be detected on the skin. Thanks, Rukia. He thought dryly.

Orihime watched quietly as Ichigo slipped back into the cut-up body.

"Is everything okay, Kurosaki-kun? Do you want me to heal you?"

Ichigo flexed his arms, and noted the small jabs of pain. At least Rukia took care not to damage any major parts. "No, it's fine. Don't worry, Inoue." He added, seeing her worried glance. "I live in a clinic after all."

Orihime nodded, and she turned her attention to her watch.

"Ah! Don Kanonji's almost on! And I promised to tape tonight's show for Tatsuki-chan!"

She scrambled for her bag and flashed a quick smile to Ichigo.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Wait!"

Orihime turned around. Ichigo felt unbelievably awkward as he walked up to her, scratching his head gawkily.

"The thing you were looking for…" He muttered. "You haven't found it yet, have you?"

Grey eyes softened sadly. "No. But I'll try again tomorrow."

"Is it… important?" Ichigo deliberately looked away, not really sure if he wanted to see her expression.

"I-I guess."

"Then I'll find it for you." He blurted out, and immediately kicked himself. What was he doing? Sure he was planning to help her find it but did he really have to say it like that?

"Eh? No… it's okay, Kurosaki-kun." Redness tainted her cheeks. "I wouldn't want to trouble you…"

"You won't." Again, his mouth seemed out of control. "You helped me today after all."

Orihime still seemed unsure; and Ichigo knew that she would keep denying his help unless he showed her he was serious.

"You need it by Saturday right? Then I'll definitely find it for you by Friday." Grey eyes seemed troubled and she bit her lips.

Ichigo sighed. "I don't like owing people favours, Inoue."

At that, Orihime blinked. Understanding dawned upon her and Ichigo knew that she was reminded of Soul Society and Rukia. For a fleeting moment, Ichigo thought a wave of sadness passed over her features, but it was gone too soon for him to understand.

"Hai…" She said at last, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun. I-I guess I'll be counting on you then."

And with that, she turned, her hair shielding her eyes from him.

Ichigo watched quietly until her figure was too small to make out, before starting to make his own way home. His heart ached with every step. It was that night whilst he was lying in bed, tossing and turning and couldn't sleep, did he realise just how lonely that tiny figure had seemed.

He _will_ find it. Ichigo resolved. He will _definitely_ find the card and hand her the happiness that she deserves. And goddamned that lucky bastard whoever and wherever he was had better accept it.

_**

* * *

**__**Author's Notes:**_

_I'm sorry about the … ridiculously long wait for this chapter. I had to rewrite half of it because it was just not how I wanted it to be (it's still not perfect but tolerable). That was the main reason for the long delay. I'm really really sorry…_

_Thanks for your lovely reviews. They helped to encourage me so much!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Finding Her Heart  
**Chapter:** 3  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Fandom: **Bleach  
**Pairing: **Ichigo/Orihime  
**Disclaimer: **I own neither the characters nor Bleach.

* * *

Promises were always very easy to make, but keeping them… was another matter altogether. As Ichigo soon found out.

"This. Is. _Bloody_. Impossible."

Ichigo swore as his head whacked against the table, for the fifth time that afternoon. There was a gasp as Orihime hurried over from the doorway, concern literally sounding off her crashes and bangs. He cursed again, quieter. _Friday _afternoon.

Three days of searching. _Three_ days of constant looking under desks, peering into shelves, and shuffling over cabinets (and of course, numerous head-banging in Ichigo's case) produced nothing but a string of disappointments, brought in the form of many origami hearts. Someone clearly thought it'd be more festive to trash the school with tissue paper. The git.

And the more they searched, the more Ichigo became aware of how impossible the task just exactly was.

Finding a single card, hidden somewhere in a big school like this, in a season where the average teenager physically became insane. For a card he had never even seen.

Sure… Easy peasy, simple pimple.

There was a bump on his head. Ichigo scowled as his fingers rubbed at it tenderly; another trophy of yet another failure. His other hand was pressed against something weirdly squishy on the table leg and there was another loud thump as Ichigo saw it was gum – just chewed by the looks of it too.

_Goddamn the bastards to chew gum in class…_

But a gentle hand suddenly touched his fingers, and Ichigo almost hit the table again out of the surprise. It was soft, and warm.

"Are you okay?"

Ichigo peered over, and immediately looked back down again, flushing slightly pink. Orihime was close. Dammit, did she not realise how close she was?! He could smell her perfume, or her fragrance or maybe just her natural smell… whatever it was, it was making him feel all funny. This had been happening a lot recently. He thinks he might have gotten the flu.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

Her hand was still on his. Ichigo stared fixatedly at the small hand and couldn't seem to move. By god, her hand was still on his. His knuckled whitened as they froze up. Did she not realise her hand was lying right on top of his?!

"It's late, you should go home."

Then she stood up. And the hand was gone. Ichigo blinked.

"What are you talking about," He said to her, wiping his hand hurriedly on his jeans. "Saturday's tomorrow. This… This is our last chance to find the card."

But Orihime simply shook her head, smiling.

"It's okay… I _mean_ it, Kurosaki-kun!" She gave a tinkling laugh as Ichigo raised his eyebrows sceptically. "You helping me these past few days is more than enough. Thank you…"

Ichigo looked at her. She did appear to be sincere.

"But…" He glanced around – at the misplaced tables and scattered chairs – and could not believe he was saying this. "The guy… I mean… The-The person you wanted to give the card to… He… He doesn't…"

Ichigo stumbled over his words. And Orihime blushed.

"No... That's okay too. He's… already given me the nicest present I could ask for."

There was a long silence after that, as Ichigo stared wordlessly at her. Orihime twiddled with her fingers nervously but determinedly held his gaze, cheeks flaming redder and redder by the second.

Then Ichigo felt something resembling bitterness gnaw at his chest.

"Oh… Is that so…"

They stood together awkwardly, as an uncomfortable quietness became deafening in the silence. Orihime was chewing on her lips and Ichigo thought she looked almost disappointed. He looked away; something was definitely eating him inside.

Picking up their bags from the corner of the room, Ichigo tried not to think about the soft feel of her fingers as they swapped hands. He smiled as warmly as he could when she thanked him.

"I'll-" Her eyes glimmered silver and he had to swallowed down a lump, "I'll walk you home."

--

Half an hour later, and a soaking wet Ichigo returned to the Kurosaki clinic. He shook the water out of his hair, and sighed in relief when Isshin didn't come kicking out of a nearby room. The rain began to pour halfway back from Orihime's house, and he somehow managed to step into three puddles along the way.

"Yuzu? Karin? Oyaji?"

Shoes were kicked off and Ichigo stumbled into the kitchen. There was a note stuck on the refrigerator, scrawled in some messy handwriting. Ichigo just about made out that Isshin had gone to pick up the girls due to the rain, and some other instructions about taking care of 'Rukia-chan'.

"Rukia?"

Ichigo walked up the stairs. The house really was eerily silent. He opened Yuzu and Karin's bedroom and saw no one was there. Grunting slightly, he went into his own bedroom and pulled open his closet, but to his surprise, there was no one there either. A clap of thunder sounded outside and Ichigo guessed that Rukia was probably doing some shinigami work.

He took a shower, and spent extra long in the warm water as he tried to ignore the hollow feeling in his chest. His head hurt. _She was disappointed…_

There was still no one at home when he stepped out and Ichigo was beginning to hate the silence. He almost wished for a fight with Isshin, or Yuzu to fuss over something. The rain was still pouring. He hated that.

Scowling now, Ichigo marched over to his desk to turn on the radio, just wanting to break the silence. But then his eyes caught the sight of something. Something red and curved. Sticking out of a book.

He pulled it out.

It was a card.

And as Ichigo continued to stare at it, he realised something else, something that made him want to shout and stomp and groan into his arms all at the same time.

It was a heart-shaped _Valentine's_ card.

He then turned his attention to the book it was folded between. And sure enough, it was definitely his. It was a textbook he had been carrying all this week, but never actually gotten to use it due to constant hollow calls. Somehow, the card had slipped in unknowingly… it was in his bag the entire time.

Oh the irony…

Ichigo reverted back to the card, and smooth a hand over it. It had become creased during its ride in his bag – he was never one to be careful – and the rain had slightly faded the redness of the card. But it was _definitely _the object they had been looking for all these days. He could still feel Orihime's reiatsu hovering around it, even after several days; a good indication of just how long she must've spent on it.

His face soured a little, and the fingers clutching the (tattered) card tightened.

Glaring slightly, Ichigo touched the handmade decorations gingerly, finger poised over the fold, and felt an inexplicably intense urge to turn it over and kill the name.

But then he remembered her disappointed expression, the sad smile and that solitary figure; and heard the promise he made to himself.

"_He's… already given me the nicest present I could ask for."_

No. He just wanted her to be happy, that was all.

Yuzu and Karin yelled as Ichigo rushed past them; Isshin blinked in surprise before he saw the card held in his son's hand. He urged the girls inside and closed the door, grinning from ear to ear. Pride beamed in his heart. Like father, like son…

Halfway down the road, Ichigo was panting. The rain had soaked through his flimsy shirt (he had forgotten to wear a coat) and his shoes were making squishy sounds with each step. Couples huddled under umbrellas turned and stared at him as he ran past, pointing and whispering loudly.

(Keigo would be telling the whole class about a bleached-blonde psychopath dashing past him in the rain on Monday morning.)

Until finally, he was at her doorstep.

Taking a few deep breaths, Ichigo felt his heart beat harder than usual. He pushed the sodden orange hair out of his eyes and he looked down at the card in his hand. It was dry… relatively. He had sealed it inside a plastic pocket before rushing out; but it appeared that some water had leaked in despite that. It couldn't be helped.

It was Matsumoto who opened the door, wrapped in a towel and with a lollypop in her mouth. She had just come out of the shower.

Ichigo, who had been expecting Orihime, almost dropped the card in surprise, his voice suddenly stolen. Meanwhile, Matsumoto stared at him with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

"Ichigo?! What's up?"

But before Ichigo could answer (or even attempt to do so), another person blundered into the scene. She was carrying a pink, wooly dress robe.

"Rangiku-san, you forgot to wear this!"

But then Orihime saw him, and her mouth fell open to join his. The rain began to drizzle outside and Matsumoto looked between them in amusement. Understanding dawned on her and she sniggered. Slipping the robe on over the towel, Matsumoto winked at Ichigo in the most unsubtle way before strutting off to the living room, throwing a loud "good luck, Ichi-boy!" over her shoulders.

Silence fell around them, again. But it was not uncomfortable this time. Ichigo stared into those clear grey eyes and all at once, every cold pore in his body warmed. He smiled at her gawkily.

"Hi."

Orihime relaxed, finding herself familiar with this situation, and smiled back.

"Hey."

Ichigo thought he could've kept on smiling like that forever, however a quiet jostle in his hand reminded him of why he had come here.

"G-Guess what?" He scratched the back of his head and held up the card. "I found the card."

Orihime blinked twice at this, eyeing the ruined card with no expression on her face. Ichigo retracted his hand a little, wondering if she was upset.

"I'm sorry, Inoue." He said, and he was. "I… I didn't realise it was in my book, my bag the entire time. I-" Her eyes shot up to him and widened. "I didn't take it, I swear! It just… just _happened_ to be there. I don't know why either… I saw it… just now. Really, I didn't _steal_-"

"I believe you, Kurosaki-kun."

She was smiling... She was _smiling_.

Ichigo relaxed, letting her take the card off his hand. She traced her fingers over the spots he'd touched moments before and gently turned it over. Her face softened as she read what was inside and Ichigo kicked himself for getting that feeling again.

"I…" He whispered. "I didn't read it. I… I didn't read it."

She gazed at him, and Ichigo longed to decipher that expression on her face. It was pained, but sincere, joyous, yet sombre. But he knew she believed him.

"I'm so sorry it's ruined."

But she shook her head, and that sparkle was back in her eyes.

"No, thank you, Kurosaki-kun." Now, she was beaming, positively glowing with joy. "I'm so happy, so incredibly happy! I know how he feels now, and that's worth more than a thousand of these terrible handmade cards."

She was smiling, so wide and so unconstrained that it was impossible to look away.

There was a tug on Ichigo's heart, as goosebumps finally shown themselves on his arms. He looked into her eyes, and felt jealous. The guy obviously loved her too… But then that was hardly surprising, how could anyone not?

He sneezed, and Orihime seemed to suddenly realise he was drenched from head to toe.

"Oh I'm so sorry, Kurosaki-kun, come in, come in!"

He dodged away from her fingers, not wanting to know how he would feel if they touched him. The card was still fluttering in her hand, and Ichigo knew he needed to get away, soon – fast.

"Nah, it's okay, Inoue, I've-I've got to get back now anyway, or my sisters would worry."

She seemed reluctant to let him leave, and Ichigo fought the urge to sneeze again. He gave her another crooked smile before he turned around.

"Wait!"

There were some light footsteps and Ichigo froze when an umbrella was thrusted into his hand. Soft, warm fingers wrapped his own icicled digits around the handle, and lingered. He could smell Orihime, even though he couldn't see her.

"Take this, Kurosaki-kun. I know you don't like the rain."

He felt her step back as she let go of his hand, and heard the tenderness in her voice as she spoke again.

"But sometimes, it can link together even the most unlikely of hearts."

--

Saturday, February 14th.

Valentine's Day.

Ichigo was in bed with a cold.

Yuzu changed the towel on his forehead for the third time that morning (it was barely 9am) and tutted as he coughed violently.

"Serves you right, Ichi-nii! Running around in the rain like that! Don't you know to wear a raincoat at least?!"

Ichigo groaned, wishing he could just become deaf. He didn't have the energy to argue back, his body was just too weak to do anything except lie pathetically on the bed; and besides, Ichigo coughed again, she had a point.

"Yuzu-chan, why don't you go out with Karin-chan today? It's such a lovely day." Rukia had come up and was leaning against the doorframe; she flashed Ichigo a smirk when Yuzu wasn't looking. "You've been working so hard lately and you deserve a break. Leave your brother to me. I'll take care of him, promise."

Ichigo stifled a groan. He knew Rukia's version of 'taking care' of him was just a prettier name for non-stop mocking and ridiculing. But Yuzu really did deserve some time out from all the chores that had been accumulating lately. Thus he stayed silent, glaring at Rukia behind the quilt.

"I don't know… Ichi-nii is really sick…" Rukia gave her best performance, and Yuzu soon softened. "Okay, thank you, Rukia-chan. Onii-chan!" Ichigo blanked as Yuzu turned back to him suddenly, a finger wagging before his face. "Listen to Rukia-chan obediently and take lots of rest! If you don't get better in two days, I'll get Daddy to treat you and you know what that's like!"

An image of Isshin standing on the kitchen table, two syringes in both hands and laughing manically as he advanced towards his only son jumped to mind, and Ichigo cringed. Yes, he remembered…

"Yes fine, I'll be good." He forced a smile onto his face, looking more like a grimace than anything else. "You go have fun, Yuzu."

By the door, Rukia smirked.

"_Soooo_, Ichigo!" The petite shinigami sauntered back to his room two minutes later, grinning like the cat that had just gotten the cream and the apple pie. "Why'd you go out in the rain protection-less yesterday? It's not like we don't have umbrellas at home."

Grumbling, Ichigo shut his eyes. "Leave me alone."

Rukia just grinned broader.

"But then I suppose Inoue's umbrella _is_ prettier, I mean, why else would you have kept it by your bed all this time!"

Ichigo shot up, hand reaching out to grab the umbrella; it wasn't there. Tearing the towel off his face, he saw that Rukia was holding it in her hands, and laughing at his reaction. He turned red.

"For heaven's sake, leave me alone, Rukia. I'm bloody ill, aren't I?! At least act human!"

He laid back as Rukia's giggles died down.

"But I'm not human. I'm a shinigami, remember?"

Ichigo muttered something rude.

"Whatever, Ichigo, at least I'm up and about. You're the one who's crippled in bed and not even able to check the mail."

Silence, then,

"… what mail?"

"Y'know, your human bills, reminders, fake contests, all that jazz…" The bed creaked and Ichigo felt Rukia lean in. "And not to mention, love-letters and heart-shaped cards."

Ichigo was glad he was facing the wall, for his face was hot and he didn't think it was to do with the cold, especially since his hands were still cold and clammy.

"I found it already," he mumbled, speaking to the wall, "and gave it back to Inoue yesterday."

There was a dramatic sigh from Rukia; then Ichigo felt something drop on his head.

"You are such an idiot. And I thought Renji was the worst of the lot… Does having testosterone mean lack of brain cells?!"

The weight lifted off the bed, and Ichigo felt Rukia walk away. She halted by the door.

"Eat that porridge, drink your medicine and don't mope all day." A pause, then evilly. "By the way, Inoue came by half an hour ago and dropped something off."

Ichigo sat up, and immediately clutched at his head in pain. He swore loudly. Rukia smiled as she walked down the stairs. Well, at least he was genuine…

Lifting his head up, Ichigo blinked as a sloppily-made envelop sat in his lap. It was red in colour, the same red as the card he found yesterday.

He tore it open frantically (cursing later for not preserving it), his heart pumping impossibly fast in his chest, and saw it was different to the other one. Smaller, less detailed, but still definitely handmade. And heart-shaped.

On the cover, the word 'Kurosaki-kun' was written in clear, bold lettering; almost like it was worried he'd miss it. His heart skipped a beat, it was definitely for him.

Suddenly nervous, Ichigo gently fingered the edge and blinked away the sleep from his eyes; then tentatively, he turned it over.

There were two lines. Neither of which were great verses of prose or heartbreaking poetry. Ichigo sat on his bed, his head swarming with congestion and body limp as a ragged doll, and suddenly felt like he could do anything. Birds chirped outside and sunlight streak in through the window. And as he sank back into the pillows, there was the ghost of a smile on his lips.

When Rukia later returned, armed with another mug of medicine, she laughed to herself at the sight of Ichigo clutching the pillow like a child, drooling slightly and altogether, looking like a doofus. He hadn't drunk his medicine, or taken a spoonful of his porridge but Rukia simply pulled up the quilt and let him be.

The card fell to the floor, and Rukia bent down to pick it up. She recognised it at once; for it was incredibly similar to the one she had taken and hidden in Ichigo's bag not too long ago. Only the message was different.

Smiling proudly, she placed it neatly on Ichigo's desk. The red heart blazing gloriously in the sun.

"_**I knew you never stole my heart,  
**__**Because you had it from the very beginning."**_

**

* * *

**

Author's Note:  
I am beat, dead, flopped, drained of all my resources. My god… started the chapter yesterday, finished it in another 4 hours put in today. Officially non-existent now.  
But I finished it!!! –Throws confetti- The drag in updating is ridiculous, I'm so sorry! But I finished it!! TT I quite like this story, in that the idea is rather cute Not quite sure if I pulled it off but whatever…  
_**I finished it!!  
**_I hope you all enjoyed it and thank you _so much_ for sticking with me!! 


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